The Forbidden Fruit
by IndianaPeach
Summary: Bella is married to her high school sweetheart, but their marriage is falling apart. When she meets a mystery Sailor, her life changes forever.    I've never written before, so this is all new to me!  Please review and let me know your thoughts 3
1. Chapter 1

They say when you're facing death, your life flashes before your eyes. Bella Swan used to "poo-poo" the idea, until the red sports car ran the red light. When she saw the pieces of her life in her mind, she suddenly wondered when it became such a complicated web of lies and deceit.

From the outside Bella was an intelligent, beautiful, and witty young woman. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Mike. Together they had faced many adversities but always came out in one piece. They had just settled into a beautiful new home, and Bella was starting a new job with a cutting edge business. It was when you looked deeper at the couple you could see the tattered ends being held together with nothing more than frayed threads.

**December 2001**  
>Bella was the first to arrive at the office, as usual. Having always been a morning person, Bella was the only person at Prospect Incorporation that didn't stop at Starbucks for their morning latte and muffin. Settling into her chair at the front desk of the lush office, she was anxious to see if she got the promotion she had applied for. Bella knew she didn't want to be "the welcoming face" of Prospect forever. Her dream was to be in Marketing and Advertising. If only she'd gone to college as planned, rather than putting it off indefinitely for marriage and family, she could already be in that line of work. "College will always be there, Mike might get snatched up while I'm in school!"<p>

"Good Morning, Sunshine!" Bella jumped at Jake's cheery greeting, and flushed when she realized he'd seen it. "You should really learn to tap on a wall, or make a bit more noise when coming down the hall. One of these days you're going to have to pluck me from the ceiling," she said as she rose to greet her co-worker.

Since day one, Bella had butterflies when she saw him. Jake was the (un)lucky one to give Bella the "newbie tour" of the office two months ago. While shadowing him, it became obvious how much they had in common. Both were the oldest of large families in small towns; had married early rather than attending college, and most annoyingly to the rest of the office they were both peppy morning people. The butterflies she felt had absolutely nothing to do with his eyes so brown they looked black, perfect auburn skin, flawless black hair, or even the way his jeans accentuated his perfect ass...or the way he kissed her.

He took her hand and led her to the break room in the back of the office. The room was only used on the off chance someone brought in their lunch, and since it was early December no one had started the New Year's Diet. He pinned her against the wall and kissed her with nothing but adulterous lust. As her knees went weak, the phone rang. Bella turned to answer and Jake pressed her to the wall again.

"Good Morning, Prospect Incorporation," she managed to say as normal as she could. Jake continued kissing her neck and nibbling her right ear as Alice's voice flowed from the receiver on the other ear. "Hey! I'm stopping for a bagel, do you want anything?" Bella tried her best to stifle her gasp as Jake raised her skirt to her waist, grabbing her by the hips. "Oh! Yeah, sure. Hey, why don't you use the company card and grab enough for the office. Boss Man wanted to do something for Emmett's birthday, anyway. Why not kill two birds with one stone, right?" As Jake pulled her satin and lace panties to the side, Bella's knees went weak and she let out a small moan when he teased her with his fingers. "Are you ok? You sound breathless." Oh, Alice, if you only knew! "I'm fine! You caught me coming out of the little girl's room, so I had to run to the phone. I'll see you when you get here, and be careful out there!" Just as she was hanging up the phone (and ready to completely violate Jake) the door chime sounded. "Shit, perfect timing," mumbled Jake as he rushed into the restroom, hiding until the throbbing in his pants subsided.

**Present Day  
><strong>Bella looked around the intersection at the wreckage of the two cars. Horrified witnesses were rushing to the aid of those involved, herself included. "I know I've screwed up, God, but please…please let me live through this." At those words, the scenery and bustle around her turned hazy.

...To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

**December 2001  
><strong>It was time for the annual company Christmas party, which was always held at the owner's home in Michigan. To save a few bucks, several of the employee's rode together. Alice had insisted on driving, and that Bella ride with her. Rose rode shotgun, while Jasper and Bella sat in silence in the back seat. In just a few short hours, everyone would be letting their hair down and forgetting about the stress of work. No one was looking forward to this more than Bella.

After checking into their hotel rooms and changing into their party attire, the group reconvened in the hotel lobby. Bella wasn't sure what to expect at the Christmas party, but she was looking forward to the wine. No Mike for the weekend, no work for the weekend, and free wine.

Drinks, dinner, business talk, drinks, laughter, bonuses, drinks, then back to the hotel. "Quite the quick and painless company party," Bella giggled to Jasper.

"Bella, I think you've got that promotion in the bag. Did you hear the way Carlisle gushed over you and your work?" Alice had an annoyingly chipper voice, but she was right. Carlisle had nothing but positive things to say about Bella. Her inner child was squeeing at Alice's comment.

At the hotel, Bella showered and crawled into bed. If they wanted to get home at a reasonable time Sunday night, they needed to leave bright and early. Just as she was about to drift off, there was a knock on her hotel room door.

Jasper and Bella laid in the hotel bed together, both unsure of what to say next.

"Jasper? I've never done this before. I don't know what's supposed to happen now," said Bella with a shaky voice. Jasper stood to gather his clothes, seemingly refusing to meet Bella's stare. "We go back to work Monday, we smile at our coworkers. Avoid awkward confrontation, and we certainly don't mention this to anyone." Feeling ashamed, Bella grabbed the sheets and held them a little closer to her naked body. She watched Jasper leave the room, and he didn't turn around. What about Mike? What about their plans for a family? "SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!"

Bella stood in the shower Monday morning remembering every touch, kiss, and lick from her night with Jasper. Her skin became alive again as she relived each encounter, and she traced her skin with her slender fingers. As if Mike could feel the pheromones the memories were producing, he joined her in the shower. "I heard there was room in here for two, and by the blush on those cheeks, you wouldn't mind the company." Bella couldn't hold back the desire stirring deep in her core. She threw one arm around Mike, pressing her tongue into his mouth while her other hand reach for his erection. Mike backed Bella against the shower wall, the water falling over them only intensifying the heat they were feeling for each other. It was at that moment, Bella went back to her night with Jasper. She closed her eyes and pictured Jasper's face, and imagined it was him entering her at that moment.

At the office that morning, it was Jasper and Bella alone as usual. "Jasper, we really need to talk about what happened last night." The words that came next stung more than Bella ever thought possible. "Bella, we can't do this anymore. We're both married. I have a baby boy on the way, and I want to be the man that he should grow up to be. I'm sorry." Trying to hide the tears while swallowing the lump in her throat, Bella left and didn't turn back. As much as she hated to admit it, Jasper was right. The office fling, while exciting, was too dangerous. Mike wanted a family, as did she. However, after her night with Jasper…Bella was now questioning whether she wanted that family with Mike.

Not only did Bella lose out on the promotion to Rose, the office bitch, but Jasper had to add insult to injury and call things off. Happy Fucking Monday.

**February 2002**  
><strong>FlowerGirl2222:<strong> I'm telling you, Shelly, I think he's cheating again.  
><strong>ShellBell84:<strong> Then leave him! You're miserable, he treats you like a possession, and I'm tired of hearing about it. You're my sister. I love you. But you're a serious buzzkill.  
><strong>FlowerGirl22<strong>: Thanks, Bitch. OMG! I just got an IM from some guy in Georgia. He sent me a picture and wrote, "Good Morning FlowerGirl22! I see you're a race fan. I'm like no man you've ever met before. Let's chat." This should be fun  
><strong>ShellBell84<strong>: See, look! Even creepy internet guys find you undesirable. Forget Mike. Leave him. Move to Georgia and have lots of babies with Mr. Creepy Creole.**  
>FlowerGirl22<strong>: Ha! I should get back to work. Thanks for the chat. TTYL

"Thank God for internet chats on slow work days," Bella thought to herself as she answered the ringing phone. Since her dream job was given to Rose two months earlier, Bella's dedication to her position at Prospect, Inc had..well…left as fast as Jasper did after they'd slept together. Her days consisted of checking email, chatting with her friends on IM, and occasionally stuffing mailers for potential clients. "Like no man I've never met before, eh? This should be funny!" Bella didn't realize that by responding to "Creepy Creole," her entire life would change.

"Why are you still here? It's 5:30, don't you think Mike is wondering where you are?" Bella startled at Jasper's voice, but it was different this time. For the last four hours, Bella and Creole had been chatting about everything from the weather to racing. She had learned his name was Edward, he had two daughters, was going through a nasty divorce, loved to go jet skiing, owned a camper, was a Sergeant in the US Navy, and so much more. This woman who had been hurt by every man she'd ever loved, found herself trusting this internet mystery man with every ounce of her being. "Oh, I'm just wrapping things up. I didn't realize how late it was," she said as she tried to hide her chat screen. Jasper smiled that warm, inviting grin, "I'll see you in the morning." For the first time in weeks, Bella didn't feel her heart skip as Jasper smiled at her or as he left. What she felt was anxiety, and the need to hurry back to work so she could talk to Edward again.

Over the last few weeks, Mike and Bella's marriage seemed to be in even more trouble than before. She had caught Mike cheating twice, and was stupid enough to stay. The law said they were husband and wife, but their relationship felt like nothing more than roommates that occasionally had sex. When she walked in the front door, Mike was sitting on the couch waiting for her. "Where have you been? You should have been home an hour ago!" Knowing how this would end, Bella turned to lock the door. "We had several new clients sign with us today. I had to stay until all the welcome packets were complete and trainings were scheduled." To avoid further berating and confrontation, Bella strode to Mike, and straddled him on the couch. Mike looked at her with his piercing blue eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist. "If working late makes you come home horny for me, then I think you should stay late every night." As they kissed, Bella thought back to her chat with Edward. He really was like no man she'd ever met before. She'd only talked to him for a few hours, but she couldn't get him out of her head. Mike was so aroused he couldn't stand it any more. He stood, wrapping her legs around his waist and carried her to the bed.

Mike was an ass, there was no denying that fact. Divorce was imminent, but the sex, holy shit...the sex. He threw himself on the bed, Bella landing on top of him. Their lips never parting, Bella slowly began grinding against the erection in Mike's pants. He let out a moan, pushed her into a sitting position and removed her blouse, and her bra was quick to follow. Mike suckled on her bare breast, and playfully teased the other with his thumb and forefinger. Bella's head fell back, and Mike moved his lips to her neck, leaving a trail of moisture along the way. She stood, removing his pants and exposing his glorious cock. Mike threw her on the bed and entered her with such force, Bella couldn't help but let out a small yelp. There was no love in this moment, this was animalistic sex. He pounded harder and harder with each thrust, and Bella was lost in the moment. Most of the time, Bella couldn't stand to touch Mike...but this was exactly what she needed. They climaxed together, and the feel of him releasing inside of her made her orgasm even stronger.

"So who is he?" Mike asked as he walked to the bathroom. Bella was taken aback by his question, but knew how his games worked. When he was involved with someone else, his insecurities with Bella were worse than ever. "It was good for me, too, Asshole. There's no one else and you know that." Mike scoffed, "You come home late from work, give some bullshit excuse about it, and then try to keep me from getting pissed by luring me into bed. I'm not stupid, Bella. Who the fuck is he?" The euphoria from her mind blowing orgasm faded so fast it was like it never happened. "_Jesus_! Are you serious? Mike, I married _YOU_. I'm with _YOU_. If you can't trust me then it's time for us to move on. I'm done defending myself needlessly. Grow up." Bella grabbed the blankets and turned her back to her husband. Mike left the room, still mumbling something about a mystery man and her lies. She was hungry, but couldn't bring herself to spend any more time with him than she already had. She closed her eyes, and dreamed of the life they used to have.

**GANavyMan**: Good Morning, Bella! I hope you had a peaceful night. Before you say anything, I want to thank you for spending your afternoon chatting with me yesterday.  
><strong>FlowerGirl22<strong>: It was actually my pleasure. You're easy to talk to, but I'm sure you know that :)  
><strong>GANavyMan<strong>: You should try it in person sometime. Like maybe next month in Charlotte? I have an extra ticket to the race, if you're interested. I take my camper every year, you could stay in it with me. There is a privacy divider, so you can have your own area. I promise to be a gentleman.  
><strong>FlowerGirl22<strong>: Thanks for the offer, but I have to pass. There is no way my husband would go for that. After last night, I'm lucky he let me leave the house for work this morning.  
><strong>GANavyMan<strong>: You don't deserve that, Bella. In our short time together, I can already tell you are a smart and kind woman, not to mention beautiful. Consider my offer.  
><strong>FlowerGirl22<strong>: Thanks again, but I can't.

Over the next several months, Edward and Bella spend every moment of their day chatting or talking on the phone. Bella thought about him every moment of her day, and longed for the next time they would talk. "So this is what love feels like" she said to herself. It had been so long since a man made her feel special. Edward placed Bella on a pedestal, and she liked the view from where she sat. Things with Mike were still tolerable, but she was closer to leaving now than she ever had been before. The guilt from the emotional affair she was having was eating her alive, more so than the fling she had with Jasper. Jasper was a sorry attempt to get even with Mike. Edward. _Edward_ was the real thing.

**Present Day**  
>Bella heard the voices around her. Everyone seemed to be in a panic. She tried to open her eyes, but felt as if they had been taped closed. She tried to imagine what was going on around her, what she might look like. The red car had hit her door, sending her silver Volvo flipping. Bella remembered the car coming to rest facing oncoming traffic, but at least it was upright. She tried to survey her injuries, but felt nothing. In the distance she could hear the sirens of the emergency crews approaching. Help was finally on the way.<p> 


End file.
